IKA opens new company building in Malaysia

All departments under one roof spread over 3,400 square meters

At the end of 2011, the newly-built company building of the Malaysian subsidiary of German lab, analytical and process technology manufacturer IKA-Werke GmbH & Co.KG was inaugurated in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. René Stiegelmann, owner-manager of the IKA group, his sons, Marcel and Pascal, as well as the director of IKA Works Asia, Sunil Krämer, warmly greeted numerous guests.

Special guest Dr. Günter Gruber, the German ambassador for Malaysia, was also welcomed by René Stiegelmann.

Spread out over 3,400 square meters, sales, marketing, administration, production, service and technical support are now all under one roof. In addition, the new building offers space for an application center, which can be used by the lab as well as the process department. Particularly high ceilings simplify production of complex, larger units for the process technology department.

The decision to expand the site matured in 2008 when, due to the Asian Free Trade Agreement (AFTA), tariffs for exports to many Asian countries were dropped. Construction started in May of 2010.

The Malaysian IKA subsidiary was founded in 1995 and had 15 employees at that time. Currently, 76 people work there. The German parent company, IKA-Werke GmbH & Co.KG, which is over 100 years old, is headquartered in picturesque Staufen, on the outskirts of the Black Forest.

IKA established its first subsidiary in 1985 in the U.S. After a decade of consistent growth in the world markets, the first Asian subsidiary was founded in Malaysia in 1995 in order to serve the booming Asian market. The IKA group continues to grow globally. The Chinese subsidiary was established in 1998 in Guangzhou to cover the intriguing Chinese market. There are now two sales offices in Peking and Shanghai that service the large Chinese market. IKA Works Japan and IKA India followed.